


Plucking Strings

by PixelatedRose



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, George is colorblind, Haha this is me we're talking about there's gonna be angst, M/M, Maybe angst, Protective George, Protective Wilbur, Slow to update but not abandoned i promise, They're both kind of idiots at times, Wilbur is jealous, Wilbur teaching George to play guitar, a lotta fluff, just a bunch of guys being dudes, no smut we don't roll that way, not with my boys, slowburn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-02
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27356407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PixelatedRose/pseuds/PixelatedRose
Summary: Wilbur didn’t EXACTLY mean to say what he did. But it was on steam. In front of THOUSANDS of people. So that’s how he ended up at George’s house on christmas eve day. Three days. That’s all it was. Three days. Three days with his crush...His crush that was infamous for being in an unofficial “relationship” with his doubly famous friend. What could POSSIBLY go wrong?George, on the other hand, has just had his long time crush of nearly a year and a half offer to spend Christmas with him. In front of SO MANY PEOPLE. Holy fuck.
Relationships: GeorgeNotFound & Wilbur Soot, GeorgeNotFound/Wilbur Soot
Comments: 59
Kudos: 406





	1. I Shouldn't Be Trusted To Talk When I'm With You

**Author's Note:**

> I swear to fucking god if this turns into a multi-chapter fic I’m gonna shoot my past self…(it turned into a multi-chapter fic before I even finished the first chapter, I’m working on a time machine.) Anyway enjoy a fic with my new fav ship!  
> Disclaimer!! This is all for fun, I don’t ship georgebur irl (I like the character dynamic, I don’t care abt what happens irl) I just really enjoy making content, and if either George or Wilbur ever expresses discomfort at the idea of them being shipped, this will be taken down immediately!! That being said, enjoy the story!!

When Wilbur had gotten on a call with George, this was the  _ last _ thing he had expected to happen. But alas, here he was, words tumbling hopelessly from his mouth.

“I’ll spend it with you!”

“W-what?”

Damn. He really was an idiot.

* * *

The story dates back nearly a year. It’s not a long story though.

Wilbur had never really expected to fall slowly head over heels for his British friend, but about a year ago the short boy held a Christmas stream that continued late into the night. Wil had fallen asleep to the noise of the brunette’s giggling and soft voice. When he woke up- hours after the stream had ended- he could still hear the echoes of George’s voice in his ears. He found he didn’t mind the sound. He didn’t mind the way it danced ever so gently in his ears and how the way he laughed tugged ever so subtly at his heart’s strings.

It hadn’t been strong then, and many people could have missed it or mistaken it for platonic joy, but Wilbur wasn’t a fool and he didn’t make a habit of lying to himself.

A year later, and his love had aged like wine. It was desperately strong now and what he had hoped would fade softly away, like fireflies fleeing the day’s light, was now screaming in his ears as loud as an angel’s trumpet. What used to just brush his heart with a kind flitter, now tugged violently at the strings, sending flutters so strong Wilbur was sure there must be a whole bird trapped where his heart should be.

And so you can understand the way his chest and mind alike stuttered when he joined a call with George one night and he had heard melancholic words fall from the short boy’s lips.

“So what’re you doing for Christmas this year, Gogy?” Wilbur had asked casually. George was holding a fairly chill stream, one devoid of it’s usual amount of viewers- Wil cracked it up to be due to the absence of a particular faceless American.

“Christmas? Uh, haha, nothing really, I guess…” The way he said it wasn’t particularly sad, and neither was the way he spoke after, but he had just sounded so… “I don’t have anyone to spend it with this year, since my family is a bit far to visit now, so…I don’t really have anyone.” ... _ disheartened _ .

And Wilbur will blame the way the clock on his wall blinked past midnight. He’ll say he wasn’t thinking straight that night and that he must have had a bit too much to drink, despite having never opened anything that night. But years later, he tells a different story. One of how somewhere he knew  _ exactly _ what he had been doing when he let the words spill from his mouth, still a little faster than he had time to process.

* * *

“I’ll spend it with you!” Wilbur froze. What the  _ fuck _ had he just said?

“W-what?” George seemed just as confused, a nervous sounding giggle spilling around the edges of the stuttered word.

Wil thanked whatever god in the sky that happened to be watching him that no one could see his face as it exploded in a flurry of bright pinks and reds, accompanied by flashing expressions and emotions he could only hide from his voice because he was an actor.

“I mean why not?” Wilbur managed to make his words nonchalant. “I don’t really have anything to do either. I could like, catch a train and we could hang out for a few days or something. I mean, if you’re up for it.”

Wilbur watched his screen and tried to ignore the mixed responses from chat before giving up and beginning to read what his eyes caught as the words flew by.

_ Yes!! Go hang out with Wilbur, George, it’ll be fun! _

_ NO!!!! George don’t!!! Dreamnotfound has to LIVE ON don’t cheat on your boyfriend!!!! _

_ Ohmygod George instead of spending it with Wilbur you should fly to florida and spend christmas with Dream!! _

_ You should have fun with Wilbur! _

_ Aww wilbur is so sweet _

_ GEORGE YOU CAN’T THINK ABOUT DREAM _

_ Wilbur you can’t ask him that he has Dream _

_ Yo that’s kinda weird wilbur _

_ Georgebur?? Georgebur _

_ Oh but what if instead you sap and clay all get together for xmas that would be so cute omg _

_ Everyone shut up about dream he’s not even here!!! _

_ Aww guys look Gogy’s all pink! _

_ GEORGE IS BLUSHING!!!! _

_ Blushy boy~ _

At that, Wilbur’s eyes shot over to George’s facecam. There was no way George was  _ actually _ blushing, was there?

But lo and behold- there was George, a smile gracing his slightly parted lips and a small pink flushing his cheeks. The sight made the bird that had replaced Wilbur’s heart flutter slightly, and he let his face mimic his friend’s, allowing the heat that had rested itself on his cheeks to begin creeping down his neck. George was really pretty when he blushed like that- Not so strong his entire face looked like someone had dumped beet juice over his head, but a subtler color. Just barely there, accenting and complimenting his expressions. Like the kisses of subtle rose buds just before they bloom. He liked it.

George was smiling with his words as he responded to the surprise offer. “Sure! That actually sounds like a lot of fun! We can work out the details after the stream, I guess then!”

Wilbur’s heart fluttered slightly again. “Sounds all good to me, Gogy! Watch out, Dream, I’m coming for your man, haha!” Wilbur joked, but hated himself for it. He knew what Dream and George did was all mostly a bit, but that was the word.  _ Mostly _ . They were close. Closer than Wilbur and George had ever been, and probably would ever be. It hurt his heart a little, but he didn’t pay much mind to it.

George’s snort popped Wilbur back into the present. “Dream can bitch all he wants, see if I care. He’s  _ got _ his own plans. And now I have mine.” At his friend’s proud voice, Wilbur looked back and saw the dono he’d gotten.  _ “But George Dream is gonna be sad you should invite him too” _

Wilbur whistled for and tried to add comedy. “Oooh~! Gogy’s a bit feisty, eh? Dream should be careful!”

George chuckled and tried to hide his amusement behind irritation as he told Wilbur to shut up and called him an idiot.

They chatted back and forth for a while, sniping at one another and laughing with each other. It was just the two of them for another hour. Well them and over ten thousand onlookers. But despite that, Wilbur let himself enjoy watching his friend play video games and laugh when he died as if it were just the two of them.

After the stream ended, they stayed on call to work out the details of Wilbur’s trip. They had worked out the most important details when the conversation shifted to other things. Wilbur hardly noticed what time it was until he’d been the one talking for a while.

“-right, Gogy?” Wil asked his friend, a small chuckle light on the air from his breath.

No response.

Wilbur cocked his head slightly. “George?”

Nothing.

Wilbur’s smile faded and mind drifted from whatever he had been talking about. Was George asleep? “George? You good, mate?”

Wilbur heard something shift from the other end of the call and George muttered a tired, “Hm? Huh, y-yeah...what?”

Wilbur laughed, delighted by his friend. “Goodnight, George.”

“O-oh. I’m awake still if you want to keep talking. I just-” George’s still-tired words were cut off by a yawn.

“Go to sleep, George.” Wilbur said with a fond chuckle. “I don’t care if you’re too tired to talk- I should be sleeping too- so long as you promise to go the fuck to sleep. Okay?”

George was silent for a moment before he gave a mumbled response drenched in exhaustion. “Alright...G’night, Wil…”

Wilbur smiled as his mouse hovered over the end call button. “G’night, Gogy.” And then he was alone again.

* * *

Oh god. Oh  _ fuck _ . Oh no.

George didn’t even want to  _ look _ at what his chat was saying to Wilbur. His heart had just tripped over a thousand little pebbles because  _ Wilbur had just said he’d spend Christmas with him holy shit oh god oh fuck this is not a fucking drill _ .

He managed to ignore his chat long enough to give Wilbur a response but as he glanced at it now, he was once again reminded how horrible some of his fans were.

_ George nooo!!! George wilbur is gonna steal you from dream why did you say yes?!!??! _

_ George you should have said no and gone to florida _

_ Wilbur isn’t nearly as cool as dream but I guess it’s nice he offered _

_ **** YOU WILBUR GEORGE IS DREAM’S _

_ Chat shut tf up Wilbur is literally just being a good friend stop dragging dream into this _

_ George nooooo what about dnf?! _

_ Wilbur is just trying to ruin dnf for us again wth wil /j _

_ But what if george went to the states instead and spent xmas with dream and sapnap???? dtxmas _

God, sometimes George wished Dream didn’t feed into their fans so much. It made interacting with other people a little hard sometimes…

Then he got it in a dono.

_ “But George Dream is gonna be sad you should invite him too” _

George doesn’t know why, but hearing the computer voice in his head repeat what he’d seen in chat made him mad. Even if George  _ didn’t _ have a crush on the tall man, he just wanted to spend time with a friend. He shouldn’t have to pander to the internet for the internet’s sake.

He’s glad he had told off his chat, even if it made it worse- more people accusing Wilbur ‘stealing’ George, more people from the chat trying to calm things down, people beginning to accuse George of not loving Dream- He ignored it. He didn’t care. He was going to ignore everyone else right now. Right now was just him and Wilbur. He liked it when it was just him and Wil, it made him feel good. It felt right to him. He wished he were closer to the tall man and was constantly afraid Wilbur would stop talking to him. He pushed those fears far down though, trying to let himself enjoy the now of their relationship.

George had finally put an end to the stream and they spoke of many things afterward- stories, jokes, plans- small words that neither of them would register as intimate. And then George had been woken up by Wilbur’s voice.

“-rge? You good, mate?” There was something lacing those words, something that George was too drowsy to decipher, but he liked how they sounded. He liked Wilbur’s voice. It was so good to his ears…

George finally remembered to respond, forcing himself awake, having apparently fallen asleep to Wilbur’s talking. “Hm? Huh, y-yeah...what?”

He heard Wilbur laugh and let his heart melt into the sound. God he loved that laugh so much- it was full of soft gold and chipped peppermint and if the universe had offered, George would let himself live in the noise with no end. “Goodnight, George.” What.

Wilbur’s words had stopped his thoughts. He didn’t want Wilbur to go- granted, he never did- and George found his heart falling slightly. “O-oh. I’m awake still if you want to keep talking. I just-” He cursed himself as a yawn stuttered his body, betraying the words he wanted his friend to believe.

Wilbur chuckled again, but this time George hated how he loved it, the way it mocked how unconvincing George was. “Go to sleep, George. I don’t care if you’re too tired to talk- I should be sleeping too- so long as you promise to go the fuck to sleep. Okay?”

George wanted to be awake. But the numbers on the clock told him he had better sleep now if he was ever going to be on time for that video recording with Dream tomorrow. And so George let himself relax again. “Alright…” He said with a small yawn, once again betraying his exhaustion. “G’night, Wil…” He began to mumble again, but kept staring at the screen until Wilbur had ended the call, gazing at the place he’d once seen his friend’s icon.

He finally left the call himself and got himself ready for bed properly, recalling the information he kept in his head.

Three days.

Wilbur would be visiting for three whole days.

Christmas eve, Christmas day, and then the day after.

And George wanted to say he could hardly believe it, or that he was absolutely trembling with excitement and swooning at the fact that they’d be spending time together in close quarters.

But that was hardly the truth.

He was happy and excited, true, but it wasn’t the kind you hear about in movies or those cheesy romance novels. It was much quieter, much gentler. It was like a soft breeze that blows around you on a good day, playful and calmingly joyful. It was never a panicked jolt of aggressive fluttering and heart-skipping with Wilbur. Most people could make George’s heart pick up speed in a bout of anxiety- it wasn’t all that hard to do- But Wilbur was the opposite for George. Wil made him feel a little safer, a little more relaxed, a little calmer. When the world around George was blaring and all too loud, Wilbur was often an anchor in that madness.

And so yes. George was excited. But it was a soft and quiet excitement, like tiny champagne bubbles floating harmlessly and joyfully around his head.

And in his sleep that night, he dreamt of soft gold and chipped peppermint.

* * *

Wilbur blinked horribly and regrettably awake to the sound of his alarm. Fuck. He hated alarms…

Wilbur was usually a morning person, but George always streamed late, much to the detriment of Wilbur’s sleep schedule.

The short boy didn’t stream nearly as much as other people, so it wasn’t too bad for Wil, but he never missed one of Gogy’s streams when there was one.

Wilbur slapped his hand in the direction of the villainous alarm until it stopped screaming and he lay on his back staring at the ceiling for a moment, gathering his thoughts and trying to convince his head he was awake enough to start his day.

Wilbur smiled. Three days. Three days with George.

It would be fun! Wilbur didn’t have a snowflake’s chance in hell of ever having a shot with George romantically, but that never meant he couldn’t have fun with him as a friend. There would be no problems. No way. Problems? Between him and Gogy? Fuck, they never fought! George and Dream and Sapnap fought from time to time, as close friends tend to do, but George and Wilbur? Damn they had never been close enough to have an actual fight! They would be fine.

Wilbur tried to convince himself he was happy about that.

The tall man rolled out of bed finally and began getting ready for the day, passing by his roommate, David, in the kitchen.

“You went to bed fucking late, Wil. George had another stream?” David asked without looking up from his phone.

Wilbur gave an amused sigh. David was one of two people who knew about Wilbur’s horrible crush on the short colorblind boy- the other being Philza. “Yeah, it was nice actually. Dream wasn’t there for once so it was just us two.” The way he said Dream, the way the word had fallen out of his mouth sarcastically with an eye roll- He wished he wasn’t jealous. But Phil had pointed it out once and Wilbur hated him for it, the thought always circling somewhere in the back of his mind when the overly popular man was mentioned.

David snorted. “You know you have work right? You can’t just keep staying up for him, Wil. One day you’re gonna stretch yourself too thin.”

Wilbur scoffed at his roommate. “C’mon, David, I’m not a fucking idiot. I know when I’m doing something stupid.” He ignored David’s sputtering laughter with a middle finger. “In  _ other _ news, I’m gonna be gone from the 24th through the 26th, so you can have the house.”

“The 24th? That’s like on Monday, Wil.” David said, getting over his laughing fit. “Aren’t you leaving for Phil’s on Sunday?”

Wilbur stopped, box of cereal halfway out of the cupboard. Phil?

Wilbur groaned horribly. “God  _ FUCKING _ dammit!! I fucking forgot about that…!” He had decided weeks ago over a call with Phil that he would spend Christmas with him and his wife. Phil had jumped at the chance to have his friend over with him, instantly saying that he wouldn’t let his son spend Christmas alone.

Damn, Wilbur had  _ really  _ fucked up this time.

“Where you going anyway? You made that plan forever ago.” David’s casual tone voiced itself from the table, the man still scrolling on his phone.

Wilbur sighed. “You’re gonna fucking laugh...But I kind of? Promised George I’d spend Christmas with him???”

David did indeed laugh.

Wilbur hated it.

The curly haired boy buried his face in his hands and decided he would deal with his feelings later. He had work to do.

* * *

“What?!” Philza’s surprised cry made Wilbur flinch. “Dude I thought we were gonna hang out and shit! What the hell came up?”

Wilbur gave a nervous chuckle and hesitated, considering lying and saying it was something for work. But Phil would find out. He was a little surprised the short blonde hadn’t already been informed over twitter fans or other people. Finally, Wilbur sighed. “...George…”

It was silent for a moment. “George?”

Wilbur nodded and gave a “Yyyep.” Popping the ‘p’ at the end.

He heard Phil laugh on the other end and thought he heard the words “Kristian he’s so fucking hopeless.” muffled and faded as though the phone had been held away from his friend’s face. “God, Wil…” Phil said, a fond chuckle on his voice. “Alright. Tell me about it. What happened?”

Wil felt a heat on his face and ignored it as he relayed his promise to the brunette. “I completely forgot about you and Kristian, god I’m sorry. I’ll call up George and let him know I-”

“Fuck no!!” Phil interrupted Wilbur. “Dude, I don’t mind too much especially since it sounds like George doesn’t have anyone to spend the time with. You like him, mate!! You like him a whole fuck ton and at the very least it’ll probably be more interesting than spending the time with us. We’re old- go spend time with your man, Wil!!”

“But-”

“No buts. If you cancel on that boy I’ll fucking beat you with my goddamn sandal.”

Wilbur smothered a chuckle and smiled. “You know he doesn’t feel the same way about me, right?”

“Does it sound like I give a fuck? Wilbur-” Phil sighed a bit. “It’s not just about whether or not you have chance. If you’re happy around him, you should be around him.”

“And if he doesn’t like being around me?” Wilbur knew that wasn’t true- George had agreed to let Wil come after all- but he wanted to hear it from someone else.

“You’re a fucking idiot if you think he doesn’t like spending time with you. You know how often he lets you onto his steams? He talks to you a lot more than some people and that’s at least telling that he likes you as a friend.”

“...Do you think I should tell him?”

“Honestly? Yeah, I think you should, in the long run. But would it be good for you? Would it be good for him? If I were you, Wil, I’d give it a good long think. Things could go very wrong, or they could go too right. Think things through, and don’t be a Tommy.”

Wilbur chuckled. “Thanks, Phil, for talking and such. Tell Kristian I said hi, and you two have a good Christmas for me. I have to go and work now.”

“You too, Wil. You gonna be on tonight?”

“No, I was gonna work on my song a bit. We’ll see how well  _ that _ goes over.”

“Well, good luck. See you later, mate.”

“See ya.”

He waited until he heard the beep at the end of the call before moving the phone from his ear and burying his face in his hands. In five days he’d be at George’s house, spending Christmas with him. It was exhilarating. It was something he wanted so much it nearly scared him. He never had a chance in the first place, though. Phil had told him to think about it, but thinking about everything that could happen scared him so much more than his simple desires.

And so he began to distract himself, drowning in guitar strings and lyrics that would never be used, the sound of sadness and loss that hadn’t seen the light of day piercing an air that would age with the melody, never speaking up for anyone to hear it’s angry and melancholic call of desperate and fruitless longing.

* * *

George woke up slowly. He glanced at his buzzing phone- the object that had caused his awakeness- and gazed blearily at the name across it.

_ Dream _ .

Why was Dream calling him? Wasn’t it really late for him?

Groggy, George declined the call. He could call him back when he was more awake. It may be ten in the morning, but George was still tired.

He liked the dream he had been having anyway. He couldn’t recall all of it, but it was snowy and dark but it was warm, he was wearing someone else’s coat- it was much too big for him and black- he held someone’s hand and he thought-

_ Buzz!! Buzz!! Buzz!! _

George groaned, picking his phone back up. What the hell was wrong with Dream? He answered and put the phone next to his ear. “What the fuck do you want…?” He asked, rolling over in his bed.

There was a pause and then- “ _ GEORGE _ !!!”

“Gah!! God what?!” His ear hurt now. Fuck Dream in the morning, he was too loud.

“George you’re spending Christmas with Wilbur!!! That’s what!!” Oh  _ god _ .  _ That _ was what this was about? Though being reminded of the fact brought a smile to George’s face.

“Yeah?” He said with a yawn. “What about it? He offered and spending it with him sounds like fun.”

“He’s gonna mess up our brand though, George! You know I work hard to keep our fans fed and civil, and they are  _ so fucking mad George I don’t know what to do _ .”

George snorted. “You’re such a baby, you panic every time something like this happens. I don’t care what they say. Wilbur is nice...I like hanging out with him...He’s nice…” HE was drifting off again. It was dangerous for him to be talking about Wilbur when he was tired, it was the only reason Sapnap had found out about his crush. But Dream was still very unaware. George would like to keep it that way.

“Yeah,  _ I _ don’t have a problem with it- I’m actually happy you found someone to spend it with- but  _ George _ ! The fans are going  _ nuts _ , they’re sending death threats to Wil over this!! I don’t know how to make them stop, you’re the one who’s good at these things!”

George was more awake now at the mention of death threats. “Fuck, dammit, son of a- You know, Dream, shit like this wouldn’t happen if you just, you know, didn’t buy into the whole ship thing...Just shout about how you’re happy about it or something, make it clear you support this.”

He heard Dream take a breath on the other side of the phone. For being ‘so smart’ the American idiot sure did panic a lot when shit got heated. “Alright. Sorry for waking you up. We’re recording later, right?”

George huffed and sat up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He was awake now so he might as well just get up. “Yeah. Don’t forget to tell- huh?” George pulled his phone away from his ear and glanced at the screen. He was getting another call… “Hey I’ll talk to you later, okay? I’m getting another call.”

They said quick goodbyes and George answered his call.

“ _ GEORGE _ !!!” George held the phone a few inches from his face. God what was it with his American friends only knowing how to fucking shout?

“Jesus, what is it, Sapnap?”

Pause. “George!!! George oh my god!!”

“What?! Just say it!”

“George you’re spending Christmas with Wilbur!!! Hell yeah!! Fucking get ‘em Georgie!!!”

Oh god not again.

“Yes. I am spending Christmas with Wilbur. Why is everyone freaking out over it?”

“Hell yeah you get to- Wait  _ everyone _ ?”

George sighed. “Yeah. Dream woke me up like ten minutes ago because our fans were being toxic again and sending Wil threats. You know how Dream gets when shit blows up.”

“Oh  _ fuck _ , how bad is it? Wait no nevermind the fans, how are  _ you _ feeling? Dude Wilbur just totally invited himself over for Christmas, you gotta be so-”

“Wilbur doesn’t like me, Sapnap.” George put an end to his friend’s words before they even left his mouth. “I’m excited to spend some time with my friend over Christmas. Nothing more. We’ll probably hang out and play video games and maybe go visit the Christmas market, but  _ that’s all that will happen _ .”

Sapnap groaned over the phone. “God,  _ George _ !  _ He wants to spend Christmas with you _ !! Don’t you think that’s worth  _ something _ ? You’re allowed to feel emotions, you know.”

George bit his lip. “No, not if it means Wilbur is uncomfortable. I don’t care if he doesn’t like me like that, as long as we can still be friends.”

“You’re not even going to-”

“No.”

“But-”

“ _ No _ .”

“George you-”

“No I don’t.”

“You don’t even know what I was going to say, jackass.”

“I don’t need to know, everything you say sounds like it came out of a horse’s ass.”

“Fucking hell, George!! What about your family, how do they feel about you spending the holiday with Wil?”

George rubbed his eyes. “Fuck if know, Sap, I just woke up. I wasn’t really planning on telling them in the first place. I mean if they asked, I’d tell them, but I dunno. It’s not that big of a-”

“GEORGE IT’S A HUGE DEAL!!” George once again held the phone away from his face as to not become completely deaf due to his friend. “You’re spending Christmas with  _ Wilbur fucking Soot _ !! I bet ten dollars that you two fuck while-”

“SAPNAP what the FUCK?!” George’s face exploded with heat- he was never good at hiding his embarrassment. It was part of why dnf thrived so much in the community.

He hated how Sapnap cackled and he wished he could just punch the fucker for that comment. He’d make sure to do it if they ever met up. “I’m kidding I’m kidding!” Sapnap giggled out. “But I swear to god if nothing happens I’m quitting my job.”

George snorted. “Your  _ job _ ? What’s your job?”

“My job is to be the best wingman in the fucking world, George!!”

“You haven’t been fired already? I should fix that...”

“Hey!!”

The two friends spoke for a while longer before Sapnap ended, saying he should probably sleep.

During the day, George scrolled on twitter. Dream was right, it  _ was _ pretty chaotic. He tried to ignore how everyone was screaming at him and Wilbur in one way or another and tried to focus on the work at hand.

He edited a video, hoping to distract himself, but every once in a while he’d catch himself searching through his playlist for Wilbur’s music and he’d stop himself. Or he’d find himself staring in the dark parts of his screen at the reflection of an unplayed guitar in the corner of his room and think of soft gold and chipped peppermint.

When it came time to record the video with Sapnap and Dream, when moments of quiet came over them, George would think of anything and everything he and Wilbur would and could do for their three days together. Playing video games, walking through the market, watching movies late at night, singing bad karaoke in a bar at midnight, stumbling through the streets drunk as shit and laughing at something stupid, speaking quietly to one another like they would do so many nights on call, Wilbur grabbing his hand and pulling him along the street and forgetting to let go-

“George!!”

George caught himself wishing and Dream’s voice startled him to the present as his pale face lit up at his own traitorous thoughts. “W-what?”

“George the  _ crossbow _ !! Shoot him, George he’s gonna  _ kill me _ !!!” George focused back on his screen to see Dream getting chased by a hoglin.

“Oh shoot, uuhhhh!!!” He ended up killing the hoglin, but his face was still alive with the heat of the thought of Wilbur doing  _ anything _ like that. It was so stupid. George was so desperate for love, but he refused to let him believe he was. He could go for years without love like that and he’d be fine. He  _ was _ fine.

...But that wasn’t the story his heart told, grasping desperately at soft gold and chipped peppermint and calling it love.


	2. Aren't You Tired Too?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wilbur finally arrives at George's house, but dammit...Wil wishes he hadn't stayed up so late the night before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit I would usually put a note like this at the end, but it's been so long I'm so sorry!! More at the end of the chapter to why this is so goddamn late. Sorry again!!

The drama on twitter was quickly forgotten in the next few days, especially after Wilbur had joined onto the Dream Smp to advance the plot further- the current story revolving around him and Niki trying to fight for L’manburg back again- for the third time- the tyrannical ruler being Fundy this time. Pogtopia had been blown up by Tommy recently and had run off with Tubbo and George for god knows what reason while Phil and Techno had started building another kingdom in the far corners of the land.

Of course, George was fairly absent in terms of streaming, as always, but during the remaining week before Wilbur left, the two of them spoke daily.

They would call with the excuse that they were checking in with plans, or some other just as believable bullshit, and end up talking for hours.

Wilbur fell asleep one afternoon after a long night of editing and if George stayed on call for another 20 minutes after he realized, talking quietly to the sleeping boy because it made him smile, no one had to know.

And if Wilbur woke up after George hung up, the sound of the boy’s voice now absent in his ears- the reason he had fallen asleep in the first place- well no one had to know that either.

And so for another five days, they chatted and laughed and forcefully ignored the little champagne bubbles of joy that rose whenever they heard the other laugh or speak a little softer than normal.

But finally the day came when Wilbur got on the train to George’s town, tiny flakes of snow floating down from the frosty morning sky as Wil bid his roommate farewell.

“Have fun, Wil.” David said.

Wilbur smiled. “I will, don’t worry-”

“No, Wil, I mean it.” David said, his voice a little more serious. “I don’t want you getting caught up in your own head. Relax about George, just enjoy yourself. Okay?”

Wilbur paused for a moment before sputtering a laugh. “Pfffttt!!! Fuck, man, what do you think I’m gonna do? I’ll be  _ fine _ ! This isn’t the first time I’ve seen George in real life you know.” It was true. About a year or so ago he and George had met up to scam Dream’s fans into thinking him and George had met up. He hadn’t been very aware of his feelings for the short boy back then, and now that he really thought about it, that may be where they had started.

David sighed, shaking his head. “I know, Wil. I’ll see you in a few days then, mate.”

“See ya, David!” Wilbur waved as his friend turned, leaving him at the train station. That was odd. I mean, what did David  _ think _ was going to happen? They were going to meet up, they were going to have a good time, Wilbur was going to go home, and that would be the end of that. What in the world could possibly happen? How would it be any different than watching George on stream or talking to him on call? The answer was that it wasn’t. And it wouldn’t be.

And these were the things Wilbur thought about on the train. The things he told himself as he tried harder and harder to ignore the steadily rising excitement in his chest. The things he thought of to hide the loud shrieks his heart would make every time he thought about what  _ might _ happen or what George  _ might _ do or say. The things he used to distract himself from his aching emotions, the things that were trying to tell him he was hopelessly in love.

Wilbur wasn’t in love.

Not that easily.

No matter what those little skips and twangs of feeling meant, it couldn’t be  _ love _ .

Because if it was love...

* * *

_ George was dreaming. At least he thought he was? He was never really the best at distinguishing reality from dreams in the moment. _

_ But it was really nice, he thought. _

_ He was sitting somewhere he thought he recognized, but he wasn’t entirely sure. There were muffled voices of people he’d never heard coming from somewhere and a pale light shone on him through the dark of the room. He assumed it was late at night, but it could also be early morning. He could have sworn he smelled something good- like sweet orange cake and spice- and there was something soft and fluffy resting on his shoulder. Was it a cat? He couldn’t tell...But it was nice and it tickled his neck a little. There was a large pressure pressed up against him and he thought he heard someone whisper something in his ear. It must have been funny because he was giggling now and so was the voice in his ear. He was so warm, too. Like he had a heated blanket or something… _

_ This was a nice dream, he decided, as he melted into the warmth and the pressure at his side and the softness on his shoulder. And he began drifting off, giggling again at something the voice said. The smell of orange cake and spice was stronger now. Where was he? What was he doing? The voice muffled something again, and the soft fluffy mass left his shoulder. He was a little disappointed, but he didn’t care. It was so warm and so safe and so wonderful and- _

**_Beep!! Beep!! Beep!!_ **

George’s eyes opened and stared upward as he listened to his alarm, blaring in his ear.

_ What? _

George was sure he was having a dream...What was it about? Oranges? Or was it something about a cat? He couldn’t remember...That was disappointing.

George stretched and rubbed his eyes, light filtering through his livingroom curtains. It seemed he’d fallen asleep on his couch again...It was a bad habit he had whenever he would record late with Dream, since he would always forget to eat dinner beforehand.

Blearily, George looked at the time stamped on his phone’s screen.

_ 11:13 AM _

Oh no.

George’s heart rate skyrocketed as he sped through his morning routine faster than he ever had before. He skipped the shower and most of the breakfast part, opting for a quick piece of sweetbread as he fumbled out of his door. And why would George be freaking out? Well there were very few things that could get him out of bed that fast- Free bagels, a plane trip, cold marbles- And one item he never thought he would have to add to the list: Being late for picking Wilbur up at the train station.

Nearly throwing himself into the car he hardly used, George sped to the station as carefully as he could.

God he was  _ such _ an idiot!! It was 11:37 now and would be even later by the time he made it to the station. He should have set more than one alarm...He shouldn’t have let Dream keep him up that late. Now he was going to be late to pick Wilbur up and the first thing he would think was that maybe he shouldn’t have come to George’s house and then they would stop talking like they did and Wilbur would learn to hate him and-

“Shut up, George!!” George yelled at himself in the car. “Wilbur isn’t like that, you idiot...The worst that’ll happen is that he’ll think twice before letting you host. We’ll still talk. It’ll be fine. We’re fine. I’m fine…” George relaxed his hands on the steering wheel and took a deep breath. Even if they never spoke like they had ever again, it wouldn’t matter. Because George wasn’t in love- It was hardly a crush- and Wilbur didn’t have to do anything to make George feel good. Wilbur was George’s friend, and that was it. Nothing more.

...And he hoped it was nothing less…

He managed to reach the station right at noon, both cursing and thanking whatever god was in the sky for the timing. As he walked around, he began to realize he  _ may _ have made a horrible mistake by only wearing a sweatshirt and jeans- it was  _ cold _ . He ignored it as he pulled out his phone and opened his discord, clicking on Wilbur’s chat. Putting the phone to his ear, he listened to the familiar ringing and thought about what in the world Wilbur would think about him now.

_ Ring ring ring… _

George regretted coming out of his car at this point. Wilbur wasn’t here to see yet, so he let himself shiver and rub his arms. Wilbur would probably laugh at him if he could see him now. He’d probably make a joke about it to hide his obvious annoyance with George’s timing.

_ Ring ring ring… _

A cold breeze blew through the station and whipped his hair into his eyes and made him shiver even more. George closed his arms around himself and glared at the frost on the ground and the people bundled in winter clothes around him. Wilbur was probably ignoring him out of spite…

_ Ring ring ring… _

“C’mon, Wil...Pick up alreadyyy…” George whispered into his phone, watching his breath turn into a puff of white.

“Why should I pick up, George?” a familiar voice chuckled from behind George.

The brunette let out an exasperated sigh and shivered again as another cold wind passed through. “Because it’s fucking  _ cold _ , Wil!! I want to find you and get outta here…” George said it into his phone, but louder than before so that he could be heard. “Please just fucking pick uuuppp…!”

The voice laughed hysterically behind him.

George scoffed and spoke to himself, still not registering the situation. “Oh Wilbur’s a fucking jerk, laughing like a fucking son of a-”

“Gogy~!” And before George really figured out what was going on, He felt a warm hand on his shoulder and snapped around.

_ Ring ring ring... _

And there was Wilbur, smiling with the pale sun in his hair, a delight sparkling in his eyes. Oh god,  _ there was Wilbur _ …

He held his phone up for George to see, the discord call screen flashing across it. But George had only glanced at it before his eyes were forcefully torn away by the sight of Wilbur himself. He was smiling sweetly and it was as if the entire air around him was grinning. The sun kissed his hair and skin and made them shine- almost glowing. His cheeks and just the tip of his nose were flushed from the cold and he was sure they must be pink as Wilbur’s breath puffed out of his slightly parted lips and surrounded his head. His brown eyes sparkled like nothing George had ever seen before and the short boy was sure he would fall into them if he ever got too close. And his laugh, oh  _ god _ ...It was the same as always- All soft gold and chipped peppermint- but it was so much more  _ real _ in his ears, so much more  _ there _ .

_ Ring ring- Beeeeep. _

George was doomed.

* * *

Wilbur had been waiting for about 20 minutes when he spotted George wander into the cold station.

And  _ oh fuck… _

Wilbur hadn't been thinking he’d have any sort of reaction to seeing George in person- he’d seen him before after all- But the thing about emotions and time is that they change, they grow, they shrink, they morph in ways that most people can’t predict in the moment.

Wilbur knew this. 

But Wilbur was also an idiot.

The tall musician was  _ awestruck _ . Horribly, and tragically,  _ awestruck  _ by the small brunette. He was framed by the cold sun and was- quite frankly- adorable, shivering in the cold, the arms of his hoodie slightly too long as just the tips of his fingers poked out. His ears were pink and so was his nose, his brown eyes scanning the area before traveling to his phone. He was  _ pretty _ …

Wilbur shook his head and tried to push those thoughts aside. They didn’t matter, and Wilbur wouldn’t let them get in the way of his time with the short boy.

In fact, Wilbur had a fantastic way of chasing out these feelings- George hadn’t spotted him yet.  _ Wilbur could totally prank him _ .

He snuck up behind the man and, with prior intentions of scaring him, hesitated.

He really was very cute...His hair was messy and it was ruffled further by the wind. Wilbur had never really seen his hair like that before, as George always tried to look nice for the camera. He was wearing some of Technoblade’s latest merch and Wilbur had to smother a giggle- it was just a pink hoodie with a little pig on one shoulder and a diamond sword on the other- but pink looked good on him…

“C’mon, Wil...Pick up alreadyyy…” Wilbur heard George softly whine in front of him and chuckled lightly. He had waited too long to scare him anyway.

“Why should I pick up, George?” He giggled out the words, expecting the boy to spin around and laugh with him. When he didn’t- instead speaking into his phone as if Wilbur had picked up- the musician sputtered, laughing delightedly at his friend’s obliviousness.

“Oh Wilbur’s a fucking jerk, laughing like a fucking son of a-”

Wilbur couldn’t take it anymore, his friend was so blind and just- “Gogy~!” He placed a hand on George’s shoulder and the boy spun around.

And there was George, brown eyes wide in the winter sun, brown hair dusted with the sheen of pale light and a pink flush frosting his cheeks and nose. Oh god,  _ there was George _ …

Wilbur felt like they had stayed like that for hours, just staring at one another as if it were the first and last time they would ever be able to see the face in front of them, Wilbur felt like the air around them was alive with energy and the world started to fade, leaving them and only them.

“...Hey.” George said.

“Hey.” Wilbur echoed.

Wilbur picked up his hand from George’s shoulder, he wasn’t sure what he was doing or where his hand would go, but he wanted to hold that pale face in his hands so badly, he wanted to hold it and look forever into George’s eyes. He wanted to-

Someone bumped into George’s shoulder and the short boy stumbled slightly as the stranger apologized.

...And it was gone.

“So...You’re here!” George said.

Wilbur sat up straighter, realizing he had leaned forward slightly. “Yep! That’s me! Here-bur.”  _ God what the fuck was that, Wil? What the  _ hell _ are you saying? What the hell were you  _ thinking _?! You said you weren’t going to do anything, you fucking idiot of a person-  _ god _! _ He tried desperately to ignore the heat flooding his face as the world came back to him and his ears were assaulted by the bustling din of people around him again.

“So I guess we should hit my place first and decide what we should do for today, huh?” George said, breath billowing out in front of him. “I have stuff planned for the other days, though, don’t worry. I just thought we could wing it today since I didn’t know how long getting you settled would take.” He spoke as they walked back to George’s car.

“Makes sense.” Wilbur commented, adjusting the guitar across his back. He saw the way George shivered in the cold and wanted to to help him- wanted to lend him his coat, wanted to pull him close, wanted to cup his hands in his own- But every time he thought of those things he scolded himself. George was a big boy. He could take care of himself just fine.  _ But I  _ want _ to take care of him… _

“By the way, are you still sure you’re okay sleeping on the couch?” George asked as they reached his silver car.

Wilbur followed George to put his bag and guitar in the back seat and smiled. “Yeah, of course! I’m not gonna put you out of your own bed, Gogy.”

George bit his lip slightly and looked at him. “You’re  _ sure _ ? Because you’re a  _ lot _ taller than me and-”

Wilbur interrupted his friend with a low chuckle. “George- I’ll be fine! Seriously, mate, don’t worry about it, alright?”

George sighed and opened his door. “Fine. But in exchange you have to let me pick the music!”

“Whaat!! How the fuck does  _ that _ work?! I was nice to you by taking the couch and so now  _ you _ get to choose the music?! I’ve been fucking scammed!! You nasty scammer!” Wilbur’s words were dramatic, but his smile betrayed him. “You’re so unfair, Gogy. I’m hurt.” He pouted and gave his best puppy-dog eyes to the short boy, intending it to be for theatrics.

To his utter surprise, George stared for a moment, before looking away and tossing him the aux cord. “Jesus, fine you can have the music.” George laughed the words, his face genuinely looking amused and happy. W...was his face pink from the cold, or…?

_ No. _ Wilbur decided. “Haha! Jokes on you, Gogy, you’re gonna hear nothing but Technoblade Blitz Parody for however long it takes to get back to your house!!”  _ No. George is still cold. He wouldn’t and will never think of me in that way. He never has, and never will and so you need to stop thinking that it’ll happen. _ He scolded his heart and ignored how it crushed under the weight of the words he pounded into his mind. He’d dealt with heartbreak before, he could deal with it again.

The car ride was chalk full of loud singing, jokes, fighting over the aux, and friendly arguments that always ended in laughter. It was nice...It was... _ better _ than the calls.  _ So _ much better...it kind of scared Wilbur how much better it actually was to  _ see _ George  _ in person _ as he laughed and snorted and sang along off-key to the music that he and Wilbur fought over.

Wilbur smothered short yawns when George wasn’t looking and decided he really shouldn’t have stayed up so late editing the night before. As they reached George’s apartment, they were belting out Bohemian Rhapsody at the top of their lungs and Wilbur couldn’t help but notice how happy George looked. The kind of joy he hadn’t seen often on his face- relaxed and unfiltered. Wilbur decided he liked seeing that.

“MAMA!!! OOHOO~!!” George sang off-key and Wilbur echoed the same song back at him.

“I DON’T WANNA DIE!!!” He couldn’t help but smile as their voices intertwined as they sang.

“SOMETIMES I WISH I’D NEVER BEEN BORN AT ALL!!!”

_ Yeah… _

Wilbur hardly registered his own voice as he watched George dance unabashedly around his living room.

_ This was nice… _

* * *

As things calmed down, George helped Wilbur settle in. As of now, the two chatted on George’s couch- also the place Wilbur would be sleeping- when he heard a distant jingle from the other room.

“-anyway, and that’s why I don’t-” Wilbur had been finishing up a story but he very quickly cut himself off and stared at something behind George.

A quick glance revealed George’s kitten, Sushi, sniffing at Wilbur’s guitar leaned against the wall. “Oh yeah, that’s Sushi. I just call her Cat on stream though. She’s a little bit of a nosy brat, so I’m sorry if she ever bothers you. She might come and jump on you in the middle of the night too…” And before George could say that he’d just keep her in his room, Wilbur put a hand on George’s arm, sending shivers down his spine and a heat across his cheeks.

As he turned to look at the tall man, you’d think he was a child who’d never seen a cat in real life before. “ _ I love her _ .” He said with a small squeak in his tone- and  _ god _ if that wasn’t the cutest thing George had ever heard in his goddamn life. 

The next thing George said would leave him half conflicted between utter joy and exhausted and sarcastic pain, as what he said would make way for him to fall ever-more in love with the boy with a curly mop of hair. “Do you want to hold her?”

George swears he’s never heard Wilbur squeal like that- with  _ so much _ childish joy in his voice and his eyes alive with excitement.

George giggled and picked up the small cat and held her in his arms a moment before handing her over to Wilbur. “Now Sushi is a very cuddly kitten, but-”

“So am I, now hand her over  _ please I love her _ .” Wilbur demanded and George couldn’t help but laugh, ignoring the ‘so am I’ he had said that made his heart melt.

“Calm down, Wilbur!” George said with a laugh as he held the purring kitten. “Shi-Shi is cuddly- BUT!” He interrupted Wilbur’s move to grab the kitten with a hand, giggling at the pouty face the man gave him. “She tends to be  _ overly _ cuddly and clumsy- she  _ will  _ try to eat your ears if you’re not careful.” Finally, George handed the tall man the purring white kitten. “Don’t feel bad if you need to toss her off you though, she has absolutely  _ no _ respect for personal boundaries.” He giggled at his own words, remembering time and time again when he’d get a cat butt in his face while trying to watch tv.

Instantly, Wilbur’s hands held the kitten with so much care and gentleness it was  _ painful _ , like if he misplaced his hands even a little, the kitten would dissolve. And as if on instinct, the tall boy lifted his legs and curled in on himself and around the kitten, cradling the animal with not only his arms, but his whole body. His brown eyes went soft and his face sparkled with fond joy as the kitten purred and chirped in his arms.

George watched with fallible love reflecting in his eyes and beating horribly in his heart, like a string was looped around a cork in his affections and the sight of Wilbur was tugging gently and painfully at the string.

Then Wilbur giggled and it was all soft gold and chipped peppermint.

_ You’re in love, George… _

The thought shot through his head with so much clarity it made his heart trip and stumble down a flight of stairs. His thoughts stuttered and he buried the thought back up. No. He would not let thoughts like that come up when he was around Wilbur. He wouldn’t.

George shook his head and chuckled. “God, with the way you treat that cat, someone might mistake you for a decent person, Wil!”

Wilbur pouted for just a moment before turning back to Sushi, who was now on his shoulder and rubbing her face into his already messy hair. “You’re just jealous cause I love Sushi more than-” his words were interrupted with a short gasp and giggle, a short and quiet ‘stop!’ escaping his mouth as Sushi began to nibble at his ear

The sound made George’s heart beat so hard and fast he was pretty sure the world could hear it, his face a mess of heat

_ You’re in love, George… _

_...Not today. _

* * *

The day slid along easily from there.

They had decided to stream them playing a horror game together to see who would get more scared. (Wilbur won that one) and after that, they played video games until pizza arrived.

But Wilbur, even before the pizza had arrived, was dozing hard. He hated himself for not sleeping more the night before. He forced himself awake for George and would listen endlessly to him and his talking. Soon he had opted out of playing games and just watched George play for a while, calling out quips and snipes at his gameplay.

The pizza arrived soon and they turned on a movie- Wilbur doesn’t remember what it was- all he remembers is being on the couch next to George. He remembers something between him or George scooting closer- he couldn't make out which one of them it was that moved closer, but knowing himself, it was probably Wilbur.

He remembers hearing George chat and talk about the movie. He remembers a kitten in his lap.

_ This is nice… _ Wilbur thought as he blearily tried to focus on the screen- a screen he hardly looked at when his sleepy eyes betrayed his desires.  _ It’s just us, all over again...Me and George...Why couldn’t I have this…? _

Then it gets fuzzier.

He remembers something warm. He remembers something pressing against his head, like a pillow but harder. He remembers the smell of vanilla and peppermint.

And then the waking world stops all together.

_ Wilbur was dreaming now. At least he’s pretty sure he’s dreaming...He could be wrong. There’s a crowd of people and they’re all cheering for him- for George. Why are they cheering? He can’t see up the stage or over the people in his way.  _

_ Why can’t he see?  _

_ Why can’t he see?  _

_ Where is George? _

_ All the people around him yelling and screaming in a cacophony of praise and love. _

_ “I love George!!” “George means the world to me!” “He’s so perfect!” “He’s amazing!” “George is the only thing I care about!” “He hasn’t ever done anything wrong!” “George is so innocent and kind!” “He’s such a dream boy!” _

_ Wilbur’s heart was racing and his eyes were starting to sting. Why was he so upset? He kept calling and pushing at people, small ‘excuse me’s’ and ‘I need to see George’s’ escaping his mouth as the world shouted plastic adoration at someone who was so much more real than Wilbur had expected.  _

_ “I love George!” _

No, stop it- _ Wilbur thought desperately. As he pushed through the crowd to the stage that seemed so far away. _

_ “George means the world to me!” _

__ **You** mean nothing to  **him** - _ he pushed further. _

_ “He’s so perfect!” _

No- his imperfections make him human- _ he tugged the people away. _

_ “He’s amazing!” _

You have no right to love him when you can only see him through distorted glass- _ he reached out desperately. _

_ “George is the only thing I care about!” _

You can’t claim care when not a word has been spoken- _ he stumbled through the crowd. _

_ “He hasn’t ever done anything wrong!” _

He’s made mistakes like every single one of us- _ further. _

_ “George is so innocent and kind!” _

He’s not a naive child that needs protecting- _ further. _

_ “He’s such a dream boy!” _

You can’t push expectations onto someone that doesn’t exist for you-  _ further. _

_ “George is  _ my _ best friend.” _

**_Snap._ **

_ Wilbur had finally reached the stage, he ran up the stairs on the side and stared at the two people on the stage from the wings, out of breath and out of view. He screamed George’s name but found the words slip into the void of nonexistence. The sound never even escaped his own mind. “George, wait I-” _

_ The stage housed the two people front and center, turned to one another. George in all his loveliness- his simplicity of just  _ existing _ with himself. George’s back was turned to Wil as he stared. _

_ And the other figure, Dream. He was done in a king’s cape and his green eyes- those  _ fucking _ eyes- were filled to the brim with love and joy and pure sincerity. His hands reached wonderfully and kindly to cup George’s face. _

_ And Wil wanted to scream, to shout, to be mad that George loved Dream and that Dream loved George. He wanted so badly to shout and pout and yell and finally tell the short boy all the small and reckless secrets he kept stored in his heart. _

_ But he saw him. And he looked so genuine. Dream’s face didn’t reveal a single drop of false love. Dream was not like the crashing waves of people below them. His eyes met Wilbur’s for a moment- they were not smug, they were not angry- they were filled with a symphony of joy, guilt and pity, a pity borne from knowing what Wilbur felt and knowing that Wilbur would never feel it back. _

_ Wilbur wanted to scream. _

_ Wilbur wanted to run and scoop George into his arms and spill his affections to the world. _

_ Wilbur wanted to be angry. _

_ Wilbur watched and hardly felt the hot tears bleeding uncontrollably from his own eyes, eyes that were drowning in emotions. _

_ Wilbur looked to George’s face as the small boy turned to look out at the crowd, a smile gracing his lips and a hand clasped in his own. _

_ “I love you…” _

__ **_Snap- Crack._ **

_ Wilbur turned and walked back into the crowd of people, falling into the cacophony and drowning in the sounds of what he would never escape, of things he would never have, of things he couldn’t compete with, of things he would promise himself when he thought of realities, of things that made his heart shatter. _

_ “...You love him more…” _

* * *

George remembers watching the movie, scoffing at some stupid quip and talking about it.

“It’s so fucking stupid, isn’t it? Like, who would  _ actually _ fall for-” And the next thing he knew, George let out a short gasp in surprise as Wilbur’s head fell against his shoulder.

And in a burst of deja-vu, George smelled sweet orange cake and warm spice.

George was usually pretty collected- or at least that’s what he liked to tell himself- but in the moment, George panicked and didn’t know what to do. Was Wilbur actually asleep? Maybe he could just shake him awake and-

Wilbur blew out a sleepy sigh and nestled closer to George.

Shit.

Shit oh fuck.

Oh no.

George turned his head carefully to the sleeping boy pressed up against him. Wilbur was...He was asleep. It was like that one time on call. Except this time, Wilbur was actually here, was actually next to him, was  _ cuddling _ up against him. He had a sleeping Sushi in his lap and his curly hair had fallen into his eyes, his lips parted slightly.

While most of his head panicked uncontrollably and his face probably looked something similar to what people told George strawberries looked like, somewhere in his mind, something quiet controlled him.

George smiled sweetly and fondly as he reached a hand over and brushed the loose locks out of Wilbur’s face, and before he really actually knew what he was doing, he found he enjoyed the sensation of his fingers in Wilbur’s soft hair and began to weave his hands into the curls, gently stroking his hair.

His mind tried to panic, but found that it couldn’t.

George relaxed into Wilbur’s form and stayed that way until the movie ended, whispering quips and words like he had on that call. When the film came to a close, George forced himself away from the comfort of the taller man and laid him down on the couch, throwing a blanket over him before retiring to his own room.

_ That was a horrible idea. You’re getting far far too attached and comfortable far far too quickly. _

George’s head berated him with accusations. He pushed back against it.

_ He wasn’t awake and I didn’t do anything boundary crossing! It was a one time thing, and I let myself enjoy it. Is that so wrong?  _ George thought of Wilbur in his arms again, his fingers laced in his hair again, the way he could feel his chest move when he breathed and how his breath trailed down his neck in a comfortable puff.

_ Is that so wrong…? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit..Holy SHIT...I am SO sorry for this late arrival!! I started writing but then ran into a few road blocks made of a bunch of different things. Part of it is chalked up to the fact that I wanted to fit every day Wil spends with George into a single chapter ;-;  
> Anyway I hope you liked the chapter!! I'm not abandoning this story in any way, so please stick around even if I don't post for a month! I promise I'm working on it!  
> In the meantime, I would like to suggest checking out my Starry Nights fic- it's just an ongoing collection of short stories from a bunch of different places in the smp storyline. I work on it more frequently cause i never have to really think too hard abt the rest of the story- just the single chapters.  
> anyway, just saying cause it might help tide you over while waiting for this one :)  
> As always, thank you for reading Plucking Strings!! Stay Fresh and Minty, folks!


	3. WILL DELETE LATER

Hey!

Hi!

How's it goin?

Okay imma cut the shit lol- I'm so sorry i haven't updated in an age and a half. School had me by the hair and my motivation was a dropkick away from rock bottom

It's still a bit shotty ngl

BUT

I DO HAVE PLANS FOR THIS STORY

AND I REALLY WANT TO KEEP WORKING ON IT

Over the course of the past few months I've been slowly chipping away at this story along with still trying to upkeep and post other fics and draw art and keep up with school and watch streams and- you get the picture I've just been a busy lil fucker

In any case- i recomend checking out some of my other stories while you're waiting! My starry nights fic is just a big collection of oneshots, I've recently started working on Kintsugi, i have a fun angsty ghostbur oneshot, and i have a story that follows a storyline where Tommy and Tubbo actually DO run away after Pogtopia!Wil goes mad! The only ones i don't recomend trying to read are my dnf fics- sorry but i have less than zero motivation to start working on those and i don't want to disappoint you when the story is unfinished :/

Thank you again for everyone whos read Plucking Strings!!! I'm really excited for the story, slow as i am with it.

If you wanna help me out and along with motivation- comment!! And ask questions!! Rant about what you think will happen or what you want to see happen! Cute headcanons you want to share or anything else! It's whenever i get a comment that makes me want to work on my stories more- fr they mean the world and more to me

Anyway- i love you all! Sorry its not a real chapter (I'll delete this once i actually update with a real chapter) and as always!! Stay Fresh and Minty, Folks!

**Author's Note:**

> Hohoho Well well well looks like I have made yet another fic!!  
> (God I have so many projects I need to stop doing this)  
> I don't know what kind of updating schedule this story will have, I'll probably just end up working on it between my other projects (TOG, WW, my animatic, my wing au, and my unpublished wips. I have no personal life anymore all I know is content.)  
> Anyway, I like this story so far, I'm having fun, I hope you all like it and a special shoutout to Woot- I hope you like it, ya lil gremlin ;)


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